“That was a brilliant penny from the famous bidder in the underworld!” The bid caller said as if his voice was praising a powerful being. Penny? What the heck.

I didn’t take my eyes off in front, directing at the back where the baritone voice came. My whole body won’t stop shaking, and the pain in my hands was getting worst. I’m secretly struggling from the chains. It must be it.

This strangest feeling inside me, yet it still hasn’t disappeared. If my body is this weak, I can’t save myself out of here. I need to redeem my energy, but in this current situation, much impossible.

“Sure thing for a very valued item, Cain. I can even stake everything to redeem the freshly maria,” the man said and then take another sip from the glass of wine he’s holding.

What? Freshly maria? I didn’t even agree to be sold and to be in this place! Much worse, to be addressed as an item!

Also, they knew each other, so much from calling their names in front of these crowded illegal beings. It’s shocking enough to be found conscious in this unfamiliar place and now, selling me?

The bid caller clears his throat. It was all heard. It might be because the microphone was placed in front of his mouth while my eyes focused on the man who put eight hundred billion dollars over me.

I stare at him, from his head down to his toe. I did it multiple times before sticking to his masked face and tried to have a chance for his eyes to meet mine, and I didn’t fail. The place is not that big, but it’s not tiny either.

When our eyes met, it’s maybe my hallucination, but the edge of his lips form a curve. He then took another sip from the glass before abandoning it. He put his right hands in the pocket of his slack and walked towards our direction without breaking the stare he just had with me.

I feel a little nervous. My heart was throbbing so fast. It was like before, but this time, a little different. The presence of the man was somewhat strange. No. something weird in his eyes. I can’t see it, but I cannot explain only when it gives off a roaring thunder.

The people present here right now are dangerous, but this one who gives eight hundred billion over me is giving a vibe of disastrous and a hungry gorilla waiting to claim his prey, and that prey might be me.

Oh, Ruchee? Haha, using metaphor is refreshing. It drained my brain. I need sleep after getting myself out of this place. I didn’t stop from moving my hands. These hands of mine feel that it got swollen. Yes! Damn, it hurts so much, but I can’t just give up here.

To be sold by here? I don’t have an assurance of what will be going to happen to me after being sold. Can I go back to my daily life after being sold? I might be sold to a maniac, a criminal, or worst, to a devil.

Also, I need to find who’s behind this abduction game. At first, I thought it was just my hunches but being sold is far from being true. God. Do I have this angel tongue wherein everything I spit come true?

I forgot about the man who’s walking in front. I was startled when he’s already in front of me. He was wearing a mask like everyone else and me, but his face was too close to mine.

I felt awkward. Even though there’s a barrier between our faces, I can still feel something similar within this man’s eyes—the lustful sight.

I  turn my head on the left side to avoid his lustful eyes facing the bid caller. For me turning my head, the man who was in front of me was now facing my right neck.

It sent electricity to my whole body coming from a warm and small amount of winds. I may not have a visual witness for it, but I know where it came from. He blows the skin off my neck, and I heard his chuckles. Is this a funny thing for him?

I didn’t budge from what he did and remained my head facing to the left side. The bid caller also was looking in my direction. Only now I noticed that the bid caller itself was trembling, and he was not looking at me but directed his eyes to the man in front of me.

Earlier, the two talked like they knew each other, but now, the other is trembling while the other, what? When I turned my head again in front, I caught him staring at my chained wrists.

But I was stuck at his expression. He might be wearing a mask, but he was gritting his teeth, and his jawline was moving. He was like suppressing his anger. For what?

I witnessed how he closed his eyes, take a deep breath, and his lips formed a smile. I felt something different from his change of atmosphere. I can sense danger.

He doesn’t bother to throw me a look and walks fast in the bid caller’s direction. I closed my eyes for the reason my head begun to spin again. I slightly shook myself to gain myself, and I feel like I was about to lose my consciousness, similar to what happened earlier.

I manage to turn my head on the left side even though my head and hands were in a lot of pain, but I was surprised when I saw the bid caller and the man who put eight hundred billion dollars on me.

He put his hands in between the bid caller’s face and shoulders. He was choking the man! The bid caller looks like he was about to lose his breath, and the others who were seated stood up, but they didn’t do anything.

I can’t explain why, but they fear this man who’s about to kill another man. What’s with them? Maybe, he’s a billionaire and the richest among the richest, but he’s still a man with human flesh.

“S-Stop...” I tried to say it out loud, but my body can’t give so much energy. My lids are heavy. I suddenly feel relief like a thorn was pulled out of my chest when the man suddenly lowers his hands and let go of the bid caller.

The bid caller was coughing and yet, panting for air to replenish the breath he was about to lose a few seconds ago without knowing the reasons why my heart threw fast again.

Then I caught the man staring at me. I saw frozen before knowing that he’s already in front of me. I was a bit puzzled why he had that kind of look in his eyes.

It was like he was pitying me, and there’s a glimpse of regrets written over his eyes. My eyes suddenly close for a second, but I manage to maintain my consciousness. He was already holding a phone, and his back was facing me. He might be calling for someone.

“Maze...” he said. Wait, that name is familiar, “bring the money here and the guys. Let’s get her out of this place immediately.” What’s happening?

He knows Maze, and maybe he was referring to the two bouncers like men as his guys? Does it mean he’s that boss they fear? That? I can’t understand anything. My head is spinning like hell. I’m about to lose my consciousness.

I suddenly felt that someone was freeing my hands from being chained. My body was already weak, not knowing the reason, and it made me imbalance myself after the man freed me from the chains.

I felt that someone suddenly embraces my body. It was warm, like facing a bonfire, muscular and big hands wrapping my small and weak body. I tried to open my eyes for the last time and saw the man in front of me, wearing off his mask.

“W-What a gorgeous devil,” I said before passing out.